


Paradise

by ccshbh



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: F/M, I also totally and utterly made up that island, Very fluffy, You are probably tired of my "Jughead and Betty running away and starting a new life" fics, and these kids deserve a break, but I love writing them, very much ignoring anyone else in Riverdale after the first paragraph
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-08
Updated: 2019-05-08
Packaged: 2020-02-28 14:54:42
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,138
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18758695
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ccshbh/pseuds/ccshbh
Summary: Betty and Jughead find their new home far away from Riverdale.





	Paradise

„So here we are“ Betty says, leaning against the reeling of their balcony, that is overlooking the ocean.

“Yep, here we are” Jughead answers, following her lead and propping up his forearms on the reeling. “Paradise.”

They’ve made the decision a year ago. A year ago, when everything in Riverdale started crumbling more than usual. Sure, they had taken down Hiram Lodge, but nonetheless, they’d made too many enemies. Fizzle rocks had taken to many of their friends and those who were left, were either gone and in hiding or destroyed by their father’s shady dealings.

Cheryl and Toni had been the first ones to hit it, disappearing overnight, just leaving a letter. Sweet Pea and Fangs hit the road just a few weeks later, and slowly but surely, the Southside Serpents faded from existence.

Veronica’s breakdown came just after her father was arrested, the exhaustion finally taking its tall on her. She’d left for her mental health, Reggie on her tale and still in contact with Betty, trying to convince them to come to the city. They’d always found an excuse to stay and eventually she stopped trying.

Archie had found his luck in Canada. A tragic backstory and a guitar could get you far, as far as record deals were concerned. Fred Andrews left to be closer to his son and with him went the heart of the “small town with pep”.

Their own parents were a totally different story. Alice had lost it completely and just run for the Farm, leaving her 16-year-old daughter to fend for herself. For some reason though, Betty felt nothing but relief. After her mothers’ stunt with the Sister of Quiet Mercy, their bond had been cut and no matter how much Alice tried to repair it, Betty wasn’t able to trust her again.

As for FP... well, he knew about their plans, but had no intention to stop them.

(“It’s better if you kids get out of this god forsaken town, we all should.”)

And so, they started their research. To find a place, any place, just far enough from Riverdale, far enough from all the trauma and all the things that had happened. And one night, Jughead had found it.

Its name was Paradise, a small island in the Pacific, colonized by the British, population roughly 5000 people. It had old tales and legends about dragons, tropical climate, good food and most important: was located about 40.000 km away from Riverdale.

So, at age 20, they’d finally made it out and now they were standing on the balcony of their one-bedroom apartment, overlooking the Pacific, about to start a whole new life.

“We did the right thing.” Jughead says and his arm sneaks around her waist pulling her closer.

“Of course.” Betty whispers. “I’m not doubting this Juggie. You ready?”

He nods and they both raise their arms, leaning back a little to gain leverage and then releasing their cellphones. They sear through the air and hit the surface of the ocean with a satisfying splash.

Betty turns around to him and buries her face into his chest. She breaths in his scent and gets reassured in the feeling, that this is all she needs. Him, and the prospect of starting their new life together.

Sure, maybe they are just running. Maybe Riverdale’s ghosts will even find them here, locked away from the world. But right now, she doesn’t want to think about that. Right now, she wants to start her new life by falling asleep in Jughead’s arms while listening to the sound of the waves hitting the beach outside.

…

They both get jobs, Betty as a personal assistant at town hall, Jughead (for now) as a payed intern at the local newspaper. Most of the people that live on the island are immigrants, decedents of British colonizers. The island had been uninhabited when it got discovered, a fact that had been a relieve to both, her and Jughead.

“We’ve been living in a country that was taken from its original people far too long anyway.” he’d joked, when they’d been cuddled up on the trailers couch, reading through everything that was to know about their new home.

The way of life on the island is easier, slower than in Riverdale. Perfection is a goal, but not a necessity and Betty thrives in that environment. She is good at her job and when she comes home, she actually has energy left to do things with Jughead. That hadn’t been a given in Riverdale.

Jughead has a little more trouble to adapt. He gets moved up from intern to actual staff member fairly quickly, but the outgoing nature of most of the people around them is a little bit tricky for him. Eventually he gets used to it.

…

Three years in, they finally saved enough money to buy a little house by the ocean. Betty is ecstatic and throws herself into furnishing and decorating it. She drags a mildly complaining Jughead to the little department store in the center of the town and halfway through, while they try to compromise on a lamp for their living room, he admits that he is actually enjoying himself.

The housing upgrade has another main reason than only affordability though.

Noah arrives three months after they moved in, kicking and screaming, with a head of dark black hair and amazingly green eyes. Every time Jughead looks at their son, he can’t believe what a perfect mix of him and Betty he is.

…

When Noah is five, he is a witty kid, wise beyond his years and charming in a way that only the son of Betty Cooper and Jughead Jones can be. He has his father’s smirk and his mother’s persuasiveness and Jughead nearly breaks down laughing when Noah tries to use the same tone of voice on him Betty does, whenever she wants to convince him of anything. Noah uses it to get his father to give him more chocolate ice cream for dessert. He is a Jones man after all. 

Jughead tells Betty about it, later at night, when they are cuddled up in bed and she can’t help but laugh about it too.

“You should have heard it.” Jughead chuckles. “Daaaaaaaaadddddd. I swear it was the exact same tone.”

“Well, it usually works, doesn’t it?” Betty asks, nestling her face into his neck, still smiling.

“Yeah” Jughead sighs. “I’m weak, Betts.”

“Nah, you are not.” Betty says and tips her head up to kiss him. “Just a softie for your wife and your son. I see nothing wrong with that.”

They lay in comfortable silence for a while and Jughead thinks that Betty has already succumbed to sleep, when she says: “We did the right thing, you know. Leaving it all behind.”

He nods. “Yeah. Yeah we did.”


End file.
